Micah Richards

With Tiago Ilori and Sebastian Coates farmed out to Granada and Nacional respectively this January, the Reds are a little light on bodies at the back, especially if Brendan Rodgers plans on continuing to use his alternative 3-5-2 formation on an occasional basis during the campaign’s final run-in.

At the same time, Glen Johnson has recently declined the opportunity to extend his Anfield contract, meaning signing a new right-back will be a leading priority for the Liverpool boss come the summer.

One last minute January acquisition who would provide a solution to both problems is Manchester City misfit Micah Richards.

The versatile defender is known for his raw athleticism, donning aerial prowess, natural pace and brute strength, making him capable of playing at right-back or centre-back and the perfect fit for a three-man defence.

The occasional England man has endured a torrid 18 months at the Etihad; a mixture of persistent injury bouts and the rise of Pablo Zabaletta has seen him make just nine Premier League appearances in that time period.

But prior to that, the 25 year-old was a key figure in the Citizens first team, racking up six assists during their successful 2011/12 Premiership title campaign – portraying a technical and attacking side to Richards’ game that often goes unaccredited.

The Eastlands academy product has just eighteen months left on his City contract, and although it’s believed the Manchester outfit are prepared to offer him an extension before the summer, there’s no guarantees Richards will be prepared to sign whilst he’s so far down in the pecking order.

With that in mind, in addition to the fact Manuel Pellegrini publicly criticised the beastly defender for his lack of work-rate on the training pitch, it could signal the end of Richards’ near decade-long Citizens tenure.

Back in the summer, his value was reported to be at around the £10million mark, but it’s believed he could be available for significantly less this January.